Why did you decide to run for homecoming court?
At first I didn’t want to run for homecoming because I didn’t feel like I fit in as a homecoming king, but I found out a lot of people nominated me. I decided, “Ok, why not? Let me give it a shot.” Hopefully it will open a door for the other people who don’t feel comfortable [running] or don’t have that courage to participate in homecoming. I’m an international student and not many international students do homecoming, let alone being in a wheelchair. I was like, “This doesn’t look like something for me,” but I kind of felt like, “Why can’t I give it a try? It may inspire other people to go and do homecoming one day.”
What makes LSU special to you?
LSU has become my home. It has helped me to live, learn and grow. It helps me to lead because of wonderful people welcoming me in here when I came away from home and I didn’t know anyone. LSU just kind of opened its arms and said, “welcome,” and I felt at home. It has helped me to grow because when I came here, I did not really have leadership skills. I was able to develop some of my leadership skills and get involved on campus. It has helped me to learn because, learning from classes, and getting to know people works for me toward so many things. So all that’s been a great experience, including the football.
What has your LSU experience been like?
It has been incredible. It’s just a privilege to be at LSU because this school fitted me well. I didn’t know that I would fit in when I first came, but it fitted me well because of the incredible experience that I’ve had here, from student organizations to people that I’ve met to classes to faculties to everyone who’s working on campus– all of them are making my experience very special.
What is your favorite LSU memory?
Everything about LSU is my favorite memory. I’ve lived in every minute of it, I love it– everything that makes LSU my favorite home.
What do you hope to give back to the campus community?
What I hope to give back to the campus community is my service. I want to do best for the LSU community. I’ve been doing the organizations I’m involved in. I want to leave LSU as a different place from when I came in because I was inspired by the words of John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Those words really inspired me a lot to try to give to LSU. When I came here I didn’t ask LSU, “What are you going to do for me?” I asked myself what I could do for LSU. That’s why I’m going to play my part getting involved with student organizations, trying to bring in diversity, bridging the gap for international students and domestic students and trying to be involved in other student organizations that will transform LSU.
Why did you decide to come to LSU?
It’s a tough question– a lot of people have asked me that. Of course, being an African, people asked me why I decided to come here out of all the colleges in the United States– why LSU? It was very interesting because my guardian family lives in Michigan, so after I graduated high school and came here, I wanted to go to Michigan. So I first came before my senior year of high school to visit the US for the first time. I went to Michigan and saw the colleges there, looked around and I liked the school there but that was in the summer. And I saw that the snow in the winter is really bad. So I asked where some other warm, nice places I can go to school were. We had a family friend who lived in Baton Rouge here, just 10 minutes from campus. She told me about LSU and I was like, “All right, I’m going to check it out.” Before I knew it, I decided I wanted to check it out and now I’m here.
What’s your favorite class?
I’m an Econ major, so I’d probably say one of my ECON classes. It’s a lot of work and I have to put a lot of effort in it, but it is my major.
What’s your favorite tailgate food?
The burgers, maybe. Burgers and then hot dogs, sometimes.
Who’s your favorite LSU athlete?
Well we all know right now, so yeah– Leonard Fournette. He’s really big at the moment. He’s putting on the show and and we admire him and we hope he continues that. He’s making us proud and doing a great job for LSU.
What’s your favorite sport?
Now I’m into football, but it’s not big in Africa. Soccer was my favorite sport– we call it football there. When I came to LSU, I didn’t know anything about football and all of a sudden I was put in, a lot of people told me about it and I’m already a big fan of football right now. I can’t wait for Saturday nights.